Exposure in the camera: what is it, what parameters to set

Exposure is the cornerstone of photographic art. It is this that helps create photographs with an ideal image, when its details are not lost in excessive brightness and are not hidden due to a too dark frame. So what is exposure? We'll tell you in simple words in a couple of minutes.

What is exposure

A photo is the result of light reflected from objects penetrating through the lens onto the matrix. Exposure is nothing more than the amount of light that falls on a photosensitive area over a certain period of time. Set the exposure incorrectly and you will see that the picture is too dark or overexposed.

But this does not mean that all photographs should be the same in lighting. The exposure is adjustable, but the main thing is that it helps make the photo look natural. No one cancels artistic or creative exposure when you want to add drama to a shot or lighten it for airiness. But even in these cases, you need to set the parameters correctly, since, for example, just a dark photograph is different from shooting in dark colors. The main thing is that the photograph should look natural; for this, a real photographer pays great attention to setting specific parameters.

Exposure options

To be precise, a certain parameter is not the exposure itself, but its components.They are adjusted depending on the characteristics of each shooting. The entire light flux penetrating into the camera is transmitted precisely by exposure parameters, of which there are three.

Excerpt

This is the time during which light falls on the matrix (that is, the period during which the shutter of the matrix or film is open or the matrix is ​​turned on, if we are talking about digital photographs). The amount of light falling on the photosensitive element depends on the shutter speed. The longer it is, the lighter the photo. Measurement in seconds or fractions thereof.

With a short shutter speed, the shutter opens for hundredths of a second, allowing you to freeze an object in the frame, even if it is moving. Once the shutter speed is set to a second, the object will become blurry, and this can be a very original technique if used correctly. A long shutter speed allows you to “blur” moving objects and focus your gaze on static objects.

In one exposure there are different shutter speed and aperture values ​​(together they make up an exposure pair), sometimes their number exceeds 10. If the picture is blurry, and this is not at all your intention, then change the shutter speed down and open the aperture more. Aperture is another important exposure parameter.

Diaphragm

It adjusts the diameter of the hole in the lens. The hole size can be increased or decreased. The larger it is, the more light passes through, and vice versa.

The aperture allows you to adjust not only the light flux, but also the depth of field in the photograph (DOF). When you close the aperture, the depth of field increases, when you open it, it decreases, and the background in the image is more blurred.

The size of the hole is indicated by a number: the higher the number, the smaller the hole. The number may be supplemented with the letter F.

Photosensitivity

This is the sensitivity of the matrix to the light that falls on it. Its value can be two elements of the camera: sensor or film. Measurement in units. The higher the sensitivity (ISO), the brighter the picture will become. When choosing high ISO values, keep in mind that the level of digital noise increases, and this has an inevitable impact on image quality. In some cases, accurate color reproduction is even degraded and lost, so it is important to choose the appropriate ISO.

For high sensitivity, when ISO is over 400, a short exposure is used. If the value is small, you need a low shutter speed and a constant aperture value.

Thanks to digital cameras, you can expose a picture by changing the light sensitivity. Professional photographers advise setting ISO values ​​at a minimum and rarely changing them. However, modern cameras make it possible to get excellent shots at high ISO values.

All exposure parameters depend on each other. For example, the shutter speed must match the aperture and sensitivity. To make it difficult to look away from the beauty and naturalness of the photograph, pay serious attention to the exposure. Set up all the settings before shooting and enjoy the process and the result!